Surekha Katiyar-Agarwal

Assistant Professor

Specialization: Small RNA-mediated gene regulation in biotic and abiotic stresses in plants.

Research Interests:

Small RNAs have emerged as one of the most important regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes. They are comprised of small RNA molecules in the size range of 20-40 nucleotides. Small RNAs are widely implicated in plant development such as leaf morphogenesis and flowering. Interestingly, these small RNA regulators play important roles in response to nutrient deprivation (low sulfate and low phosphate), biotic (Pseudomonas syringae) and abiotic stresses (salinity and oxidative stress) in plants. During my postdoctoral research at University of California Riverside (UCR), my work provided first example of endogenous small RNA involved in plant defense against bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae. In animal systems, it was first shown that small RNAs do exist longer than 30 nucleotides. Another important work during my post-doctoral research involves identification of a novel class of small RNA longer than 30 nt in plants. One of the members of this class of small RNAs is involved in regulating expression of a gene associated with plant defense.

The foremost requirement for studying the small RNA is its sequence. To date, small RNAs have been sequenced in Arabidopsis, rice, wheat, Brassica napus, tomato, alfa-alfa, and. Poplar. However, these small RNAs have been identified in plants grown under controlled conditions. My laboratory is involved in identification and characterization of small RNAs involved in plant development, biotic and abiotic stress responses in economically-important plants. This would help us in identifying new regulators of gene expression and understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in protecting plants in stressful environments. The long-term goal of my lab is utilizing this information for enhancing plant’s tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses.